“A collection of profound and epic album reviews and musical articles by former astronaut and brain surgeon, Alasdair Kennedy. Reaching levels of poetry that rival Keats and Blake, the following reviews affirm Alasdair to be a prodigy, a genius and a god whose opinion is always objectively right. He is also without a doubt the most modest man in the universe.” - Alasdair Kennedy

Pages

Tuesday, 27 December 2016

My Top 20 Favourite Albums of 2016

We lost a lot of good musicians
this year. But that isn’t to say 2016 has been an awful year for music. In
terms of albums, there have been some impressive releases this year that show
we can all still look forward to the future with optimism. Here are my personal
favourites.

Whilst still showing off their ear for a monstrous riff and a
beastly drum fill, French metal stalwarts Gojira streamline their sound into a
more atmospheric and primal approach to heaviness that is entirely their own.

A space-themed hip hop opera – this wild new album from Californian
experimentalists Clipping takes their sound to cinematic territory, Daveed
Diggs continuing to swank his impressive knack for storytelling and speed.

Haitian-Canadian EDM producer Kaytranada effortlessly bounces
between house, hip hop and urban soul, whilst never sacrificing the flourishes
that make his music unique. There’s something in the sparkly tones he uses and upbeat
melodies that feels individual to him no matter which genres he delves into.
His ability to pick similarly unique vocalists and guests and draw the best out
of them only adds to his talents.

Whilst the experimental hip hop group continues to grow more
extreme, they’ve abandoned some of the progginess and word salad that gave the
first half of their previous LP The
Powers That B pretentions, delivering an album that’s as catchy and
cohesive as it is challenging. Despite MC Ride’s angry yelling and the hellishly
distorted beats, the hooks and grooves are more infectious than ever before and
the lyrics have much more punkish clarity.

1. We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your
service – A Tribe Called Quest

20 years have passed since the NY hip hop veterans' last album, and yet A Tribe
Called Quest feel more relevant than ever. They’ve stuck to their original
jazz rap sound, but modernised it with effects and creative sonic ideas, whilst
tackling current topics such as the rise of Trump and police brutality, criticising
the present but simultaneously keeping an optimistic outlook on the future. All
the guest features are flawless from Andre 3000 to Kendrick Lamar. It
feels like they’ve taken all the best of hip hop and squeezed it into a
perfectly crafted album. The fact that Phife died this year and that that it’s
the group’s final album only add to the poignancy.